


Victor is a famous food critic and Yuuri is a waiter in this one.

by Sarah_Ren



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Anxious Katsuki Yuuri, Confident Katsuki Yuuri, Confident Victor, Dinner, Drunk Dancing, Drunk Katsuki Yuuri, Eros Katsuki Yuuri, First Dates, Gay, Ice Skating, M/M, Nervous Katsuki Yuuri, Oblivious Katsuki Yuuri, Second dates, Short One Shot, Victor Nikiforov Is In Love, Victor Nikiforov is whipped, Victor Nikiforov looks after Katsuki Yuuri, Victor goes to Yuuri's, Writing Exercise, pork cutlet bowl, secondhand embarassment, victor is a food critic now, yuuri is a confused gay, yuuri is a server
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-21
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:35:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,776
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27656933
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sarah_Ren/pseuds/Sarah_Ren
Summary: Alternate Universe!Victor is a famous food critic and Yuuri is a waiter."How about this," Victor offered Yuuri with a smile, "since you owe me a pork cutlet bowl, why don't you take me out for dinner some time? " He held out a little business card with a phone number printed in little silver scrawling font and Yuuri stared at the card nervously.Also find this fic in Russian! Translated by the lovely Kiwiarae! <3https://ficbook.net/readfic/10106558
Relationships: Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov
Comments: 58
Kudos: 243





	1. Victor Nikiforov: World Famous Critic

"Yuuri! The order is in the window please take it to the table." The head chef yelled from the busy kitchen. Yuuri's nerves began acting up again as he took the tray of food and gripped it tightly. 

Today had probably been the worst day for this to happen. Not only was he nervous about his upcoming ballet lesson with Minako but now he had a food critic to worry about. 

Victor Nikiforov, one of the most famous food critics in the entire restaurant industry, was sitting in the dining room waiting silently for his order to arrive. An order that Yuuri was currently holding in his hands. 

He had done this thousands of times, it's his job after all, but it seemed a lot more difficult than it usually was. Yuuri was overthinking every small detail trying to make everything go perfectly, watching the ground as he walked to make sure he didn't step on or near anything that might have made him fall. It was going perfectly. Nothing spilled, everything was smooth sailing. 

Until he glanced up to greet Mr Nikiforov with a smile and something hit his back from behind which made him lose his footing. Yuuri's ankle rolled and the bowl flew forward. The entire restaurant watched in horror as the soup of the pork cutlet bowl splashed all over the shoes of Mr Victor Nikiforov. Yuuri stared at the bowl in astonishment and his mind went numb. 

Did he really just spill food over one of the most important people he will ever meet in his life? Yes he did. And it made him want to find a hole in the ground and just crawl into it and stay there for the rest of his life.

Once the reality of the situation finally settled in his head he began apologising profusely, a small stutter coming out a little as he offered to pay for the shoes. He don't know if they would be ruined by something like this. They looked expensive though. The stress of the whole ordeal combined with the embarrassment of fucking up one of the simplest tasks in the world caused tears to fill his eyes and spill over the edges. 

Yuuri's boss had rushed over and began sending scathing remarks his was as they picked up the tray of spilt food off the floor. 

Mr Nikiforov jumped up to his feet and put a hand on Yuuri's shoulder which made him flinch slightly. 

"It's okay," Victor whispered as he helped Yuuri back to his feet, "it's just some food." Victor's voice was drowning out the malicious comments of his boss, which Yuuri was thankful for. 

All he could do for a good while was shake his head and sniffle away his tears as his breathing began to get heavier and his mind began jumping all over the place, telling him over and over how he had fucked up. Badly. His shoulders began to shake as he kept his eyes on his shoes and continued apologising to Victor furiously. 

"Look at me," Victor told him, placing a firm hand on Yuuri's warm cheek, "it's just food. Breathe." He commanded and Yuuri nodded closing his eyes and slowly breathing in and out shakily. 

After a few seconds his breathing was back to normal and his eyes fluttered open to stare directly into the ice blue eyes of Victor Nikiforov. Victor smiled and let go of Yuuri's cheek but he immediately began to miss how warm Yuuri's face was under his hand. 

"I'm sorry," Yuuri apologised as he tried his best to hold Victor's stare, "I can pay you for any damage." Yuuri wasn't sure if there was any damage done to Victor's shoes, and if there was he wasn't sure that he would be able to pay for it. But he knew it was the right thing to do regardless. 

"Don't be silly!" Victor laughed as he patted Yuuri on the back. "There's no damage done, see?" He said, pointing to his shoes. Barely a mark on them. 

"I'll tell the chief to make you a new one." Yuuri offered nervously and turned in the direction of the kitchen.

"No, I don't want to eat here anymore." He turned towards Yuri's boss with a scowl. "The superiors seem to have very little respect for their employees. I will not be funding such behaviour." Yuuri's boss looked at Victor dumbfounded, but they didn't dare question him. 

"But your food..." Yuuri said, unsure of what he was actually trying to say. 

"How about this," Victor offered Yuuri with a smile, "since you owe me a pork cutlet bowl, why don't you take me out for dinner some time? " He held out a little business card with a phone number printed in little silver scrawling font and Yuuri stared at the card nervously. 

Yuuri had no response. What should he do?

"I won't take no as an answer." Victor stated, pushing the card into Yuuri's hand. "I'm sure you can think of somewhere." He winked and then turned around and left the restaurant. Ignoring Yuuri's boss who was rushing after him, begging him to stay.

Yuuri's mind was a flurry of emotions as he tried to figure out what had actually happened. First he had spilt food all over Victor's shoes, which was probably the single most embarrassing thing to happen to him ever, and then he nearly started crying in front of said man who proceeded to help him calm down and then the man had asked him on a date. 

Would it be a date? Yuuri didn't know and honestly he was to nervous and confused to ask. 

He stared at the silver letters of Victors name that shined on the card. What was that man thinking? Was he thinking? 

There were so many questions that Yuri had no answers to. All Yuuri knew was that he himself was thinking that Victor had just asked him out for dinner. He was probably overthinking to be honest. He should ask someone. Minako would know what was going on. He would ask her. After he finished his shift.


	2. It's A Date!

Yuuri was not let off easy by his boss at the end of his shift. In fact, one of the chefs had to save him from his boss's screaming. He was grateful for that but it also didn't do much to stop the onslaught of tears as he made his way to Minako's dance studio after his work for the day was done. As soon as he stepped into the studio he could hear his sobs echoing even louder which made him feel worse.

"Yuuri?" Minako asked as he dropped down into a crouch in the entrance of the studio. "Yuuri what happened?" She demanded, it was as if he had told her someone had hurt him. 

"I fucked up." He shuddered as she walked over and placed a careful hand on his back. 

"What happened?" She repeated softly. Yuuri often told her how he had 'fucked up' here or there, but she had never seen him this upset about it.

"I dropped a plate." He choked out but Minako just smiled softly.

"That's not that bad!" She sighed in relief but Yuuri just shook his head. "It can't be that bad." She was beginning to sound unsure of herself.

"I dropped it on a critics shoes." He told her. 

"Victor Nikiforov?" Minako sighed and continued to rub his back. 

Yuuri had told her that he was coming to visit the restaurant and he also told her how much of a fan he was of Victor's work. It probably made this whole ordeal a lot worse for Yuuri to have messed up so badly in front of his idol. 

"Was he mad about it?" She questioned, but the mention of Victor brought Yuuri's mind back to the memory of his cool hand that sat delicately on his face as he spoke soothing words to calm him down. 

"No." Yuuri sniffled and looked up. Minako smiled at him encouragingly.

"That's good," she breathed, "did he say anything?" 

"He said that I owe him a pork cutlet bowl..." Yuuri tried to remember exactly how Victor had said it. 

"So, did you get him another one?" Minako pressed and Yuuri shook his head.

"He said he didn't want to eat there anymore-"

"Why?!" 

"Because my manager was shouting insults at me." Minako stared at Yuuri, slack-jawed, and Yuuri glanced up at her with clear happiness in his eyes. "He told me to take him out for dinner some time."

"What?!" Minako screeched at her friend, her smile was infectious and Yuuri could stop himself from breaking out into a grin.

"He gave me his number." Yuuri spoke softly as he held up the little card that Victor had given him. Minako started screaming in delight and slapped Yuuri on the back.

"What are you worrying me for!" Yuuri laughed, his mood had completely changed. He was overjoyed! "Have you called him yet?!" Yuuri hadn't thought of that and it clearly showed. "You have to call him!" Minako pressed.

"Now?" He asked uncertainly. He looked at the card in his hands. "I think now's not a good time." 

"Nonsense!" Minako shouted as she grabbed the card from his hands. Yuuri shot up to scramble after the card which winked at him under the bright lights of the dance studio. Minako already had her phone out and was pressing the numbers into the keypad, she was too quick for Yuuri. Within seconds she had the phone pressed to her ear and Yuuri could hear the dial tone.

"Stop it Minako!" Yuuri protested quietly as he took the phone from her hands.

"Hello?" A voice came from the phone and Minako grinned.

"Hello? Hey, is this, uh, is this Mr Nikiforov? It's um, it's Yuuri. From the restaurant." He felt very small as he waited for the man on the other end to respond. 

"I wondered when you were gonna call me." Yuuri could hear the smile in his voice. 

"Sorry it took so long-"

"I almost thought you weren't gonna call." Victor teased. 

"I wasn't too sure if you were being serious or not." Yuuri's cheeks were beginning to glow red. Why had it taken him so long? 

"Of course," Victor laughed, "you still owe me that pork cutlet bowl."

"Yeah, I'm sorry again." Yuuri laughed too, but it seemed more awkward than anything else and it made him cringe.

"It's not your fault you tripped. Stop apologising." Victor commanded. Although his tone seemed more sweet than commanding. 

"Sorry-" Victor laughed.

"If you're actually serious about this..." Yuuri just wanted to make sure. What if Victor regretted his decision? It was a pretty quick decision to make. Spend an entire meal with a complete stranger? That was valuable time, especially when you're a food critic. 

"I'm always serious about food." Victor told him. 

"Well then, when are you free?" Yuuri asked nervously trying to remember what he had planned this week. Thankfully it wasn't much so he should be free for whatever time.

"What are you doing now?" Of course, Victor had to choose the one time Yuuri was busy.

"I'm about to go to dance class in a minute." Yuuri said apologetically. 

"Ahh, I see," Yuuri couldn't tell what Victor was feeling, disappointed? Annoyed? Yuuri began overthinking again. 

"Are you free tomorrow? After six?" Yuuri asked, silently begging for some kind if good reaction.

"I am." Victor confirmed and Yuuri couldn't help but smile. 

"I'll see you then." Yuuri nodded at Minako who began dancing around the room excitedly. 

"It's a date." Victor laughed, there was a clear smile in his tone.

"Wait, a date?" But it was too late. Victor had already hung up. That didn't mean Minako didn't hear him.

"A date?!" She screeched and Yuuri stood dumbfounded with the phone hanging loosely between his fingers. Unless he meant something else? But Yuuri just shook his head. Victor had definitely said a date. What else could it mean?

Regardless, it was now official. Date or not he was going to have dinner with Victor Nikiforov. But then his mood changed again. He was going to have dinner with Victor Nikiforov. 

"I'm going to have dinner with Victor Nikiforov." Yuuri told her as he dropped down onto the padded floor of the dance studio.

"A dinner date." Minako grinned at him and she crouched down in front of him, handing the little card back.

"Where do I take him?" Yuuri asked Minako who grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him. Hard.

"Use your brain and think Yuuri!" Yuuri had to hold onto his glasses so they didn't fall off. 

"Think what? What am I thinking?!" He questioned helplessly. 

"You can figure out a place! I thought you wanted to be a food critic! Surely there's somewhere good around here!" She assured him. "But don't think about it now. I think you need a bit of a break." She said as she threw his bag at his feet. Yuuri agreed. He needed to get out of his head for a while and dancing always helped him with that. He got changed quickly and his lesson began. 

As he danced across the room he could feel his worries melting away into the floor beneath him. There was only one thought on his mind which was the simple fact that he was going on a date with the Victor Nikiforov. And that fact alone made him feel over the moon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I definitely didn't expect this kind of positive response so thank you so much for reading!! I'm thinking this might just be a three parter with the date in the next one. What do you think? Multiple dates? Who knows! Let me know if there's anything specific you want to see!! <3


	3. Dance Party!!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Strap in because this chapter is a lot longer than the others. I hope you like it! <3

Yuuri was staring at himself in the mirror, nervously straightening his blue tie. He took a deep breath in and held it for a couple seconds. Victor was coming to his apartment. 

It wasn't the best idea in the world but Yuuri didn't really know where else to take Victor. He had been checking out all of the affordable restaurants in the area and absolutely none of them were good enough! This was Victor Nikiforov they were talking about. One of the most well-known food critics in the entire world. 

Taking Victor to a bad restaurant would be like taking a priest to a rave; a very bad idea. 

For some unknown reason Yuuri managed to convince himself that cooking for Victor would be a better idea. So he messaged Victor his address before he could change his mind about the whole idea and since Victor had said that Yuuri owes him a pork cutlet bowl he called his Mum to get her katsudon recipe. Hiroko's katsudon, or pork cutlet bowl as Victor had called it, was the best. Yuuri loved it so much he even wanted to be a pork cutlet bowl when he was younger! 

It had taken a good few practices and panicked phone calls to his Mum before Yuuri got it right but it was almost done, it just needed to be plated with he would do when Victor got there. Which meant the only thing missing now was Victor!

Yuuri glanced out of his apartment window. Had Victor gotten lost? There wasn't any sign of anyone standing around outside the building and it was already late. Then Yuuri noticed a shiny black car pull into the carpark and a man stepped out. Yuuri could make out the man's unique platinum hair in the darkness and he didn't even try to bite back his smile. 

Within minutes there was a knock on the door and Yuuri rushed to answer it but as soon as he placed his hand on the door handle he realised what was actually happening. Victor was at his apartment. He was having dinner with Victor. Oh my goodness he was actually having dinner with Victor. Yuuri got all nervous again but Victor was already at his door. There was no way he could cancel now! So, Yuuri put on a nervous smile and opened the door.

Victor looked amazing. He was wearing a sleek black suit which made Yuuri look underdressed for the occasion and he wore a wide smile as he held up a bottle.

"Sorry I'm late, I stopped off to get some wine!" Victor grinned as Yuuri gulped, with his nerves he could use some wine right about now.

"Thanks, uh, Mr-" Yuuri wasn't too sure how to address him. They weren't exactly close. 

"Just call me Victor," he smiled and Yuuri nodded leading him through his apartment, "to be honest I was a bit surprised when you sent me your address."

"Really?" Yuuri laughed as he held out the chair for Victor to take a seat. Victor smiled at Yuuri and sat down at the table which was laid out beautifully with a clean white table cloth and wine glasses that were polished to perfection. 

"It's not often I get asked to someone's home on the first date, at least not straight away." Yuuri took the bottle which Victor had set down on the table and used his waiter skills to masterfully pour out two glasses. 

"Well, since I owe you a pork cutlet bowl I thought I should make it myself." It was a white lie, but he didn't want to admit he had gone to almost every restaurant in the area and none of them were good enough. "Let me go and check on the food." He told Victor and shuffled into the kitchen.

Victor stared at Yuuri as he left and took a sip of his wine. He was the same as Victor remembered which brought a small smile to his lips. 

"So you dance?" Victor asked as Yuuri walked in with two big bowls of katsudon and placed them down on the table. Victor could see Yuuri sigh in relief as he set the bowls down.

"Only a bit," Yuuri told him as he took a seat, "I skate more. Dancing is just for practice." 

"Really?" Victor grinned, "I love skating!"

"No way!" Yuuri laughed, feeling a bit more at ease. 

"I did it all the time back home." Victor nodded as Yuuri picked up his wine. 

"Well then, here's to skating." Yuuri smiled as he lifted up his glass and Victor joined him.

"To skating." Victor repeated and they both took a drink. Yuuri's was considerably longer. He drank the whole glass. 

"Slow down Yuuri," Victor chuckled, "we've got all night." 

"Sorry," he laughed awkwardly and picked up his chopsticks. "I hope you like it." 

Yuuri watched as Victor took his first bite. He knew it probably looked a bit weird but he couldn't help it! What if it was bad?! Yuuri took a quick bite of his own just to be sure and he didn't think it tasted bad. It actually tasted pretty good. Better than usual. So, satisfied that his food was actually quite good Yuuri instead busied himself with pouring another glass of wine.

"Is this the food that God eats?" Yuuri could hear Victor say under his breath and he looked up at Victor who was staring at the bowl in front of him in awe. "This is amazing!" Victor shouted which made Yuuri jump. 

"A- amazing? Did you just say amazing?" Yuuri knew what he heard, but he didn't know if he believed it just yet. 

"This is the best pork cutlet bowl I've ever had!" Victor stared at Yuuri with his big icy blue eyes and a wide grin and everything stopped. "I had no idea you were so good at cooking Yuuri." Yuuri's heart was doing overtime as he stared red-faced at Victor who continued eating. 

"Thanks Victor." Yuuri smiled and took another long drink. Yuuri at some more too and the conversation turned elsewhere.

Skating was something the both of them could talk about for hours on end. Sharing funny little stories and discussing the most difficult moves. Yuuri wasn't surprised to hear that Victor had mastered the quadruple flip giving Yuuri the impression that it was more than just a hobby. 

As the night went on they learned more about each other and Yuuri was becoming more and more comfortable around Victor. Although, that was partially because the bottle of wine was becoming more and more empty. 

"You must be an amazing dancer too!" Yuuri slurred as he poured Victor's third glass. 

"Well I'm not bad," Victor chuckled, "but I'm sure you're much better than me."

"Really? Oh my gosh you're so nice Victor!" Yuuri grinned, his cheeks were almost as red as the wine itself. "But I'm sure you're still a brilliant dancer!" 

"Yuuri I think I've had enough wine." He chuckled but Yuuri just shook his head and continued pouring. 

"I can't finish the bottle by myself!" Yuuri laughed as he continued pouring Victor's glass.

"If I have too much I won't be able to drive home." Victor leaned on his elbows and smirked. Yuuri stared at Victor for a moment and smiled. 

"We can have a sleepover!" He laughed, absolutely oblivious, but Victor couldn't help but laugh with him.

"Okay," Victor grinned, "but I feel like I'm missing out on seeing you dancing. Do you have any videos?" 

"Why do you want a video," Yuuri smirked and stood up from his seat, "when I'm right here?" Yuuri smirked, taking his glasses off and pushing his hair back like he did at the beginning of almost all of his dance routines on and off the ice.

Victor's mouth dropped into an open-mouthed smile as he watch Yuuri stalk over to the sofa and found his phone turning on some kind of playlist before attaching it to the speakers. Victor had no idea how Yuuri managed to do all of this while drunk but he managed, quite well actually. Then without missing a beat Yuuri spun on his heels to stare straight into Victor's mesmerising blue eyes. 

"Victor Nikiforov! I challenge you to a dance-off!" He shouted, pointing a finger right into Victor's chest. 

Before Victor even had the chance to accept the challenge Yuuri pulls him up from his seat by his tie and begun pulling him over to an empty space. Yuuri began dancing around Victor who was laughing along while moving with the music. Victor noticed that a lot of Yuuri's dancing was very sexual, not that he was complaining, a body roll here, a grind there. Victor liked his style. Yuuri seemed different when he was drunk and Victor still couldn't decide which version of him he liked more. So he decided not to decide. Both Yuuris were the same beautiful and mesmerising person, one was just a bit more confident. 

Victor spun around resting his arms on Yuuri's shoulders as they swayed their hips to the beat. Yuuri smirked at Victor and then winked which made Victor's cheeks grow a soft red hue.

"Yuuri." Victor called to him over the loud music. 

"Yeah?" Victor couldn't help but notice how close his lips were to Yuuri's and they got even closer as his companion snaked his arms around Victor's waist and pulled their bodies flush together making their dance moves even more in sync. Victor's breath caught in his throat. He wanted Yuuri to kiss him.

"You're definitely the better dancer." He grinned and they danced together for a long while occasionally leaning in closer to murmur into each other's ears. 

At some point Yuuri had begun to feel way too hot for his liking, so he begun to strip off all unnecessary items of clothing. This mean he had taken off everything except his tie and his briefs. Victor managed to retain most of his clothes but he was struggling to keep his hands in one place.

"Victor." Yuuri whispered onto Victor's lips. 

"Yes Yuuri?" He asked, pressing their foreheads together lightly.

"Kiss me." He ordered and Victor didn't need to be asked twice. All Victor managed was a soft peck before Yuuri buried his face into Victor's shoulder and he stopped his dancing. 

"I think you've danced yourself out." Victor chuckled at Yuuri who was leaning against him holding onto his shoulders tightly for support. 

Victor guided Yuuri to the bedroom, taking off his tie and pulling the covers over him. Yuuri could barely keep his eyes open as he tugged at Victor's sleeve.

"There's some clean pjs for you in the drawer," Yuuri pointed vaguely towards one side of his room, "you can sleep in the bed, the sofa's not that comfy." He mumbled as he began to doze off. 

Victor smiled at Yuuri and found what Yuuri had told him about. At least, he found a set of pyjama bottoms, no sign of a shirt anywhere, but he barely wore a shirt to bed anyway so it didn't matter to him. Although, when he got to the sofa he realised that it was way too cold for him to sleep there without a shirt and it was super uncomfortable, like sleeping on a rock! 

Victor eventually decided that it would be best just to take up Yuuri's offer and slid under the covers of Yuuri's bed, trying to stay on one side as much as possible. He didn't want to take up too much space! 

As Victor lie down to sleep the events of the night played behind his eyes like a movie. Everything that happened had made him smile or laugh in some way or another. He couldn't remember the last time he had had so much fun. 

There was something about Yuuri that had ignited something inside of him. Maybe it was his smile. Or maybe it was his boldness. It could be any number of things! But whatever it was, Victor loved it. 

For the first time in a long time Victor fell asleep easily with a smile on his lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you like it!! Comment any other date ideas that you want to see written because you guys have some really good ideas, I'm open to writing pretty much anything!!!
> 
> And thank you so much for the positive reaction, I did not expect this to get the attention that it did an I am *thriving* at the minute!! I cannot explain how happy this has made me it's absolutely amazing!
> 
> I love all of you guys! <3


	4. Second Date?

When Yuuri woke up the following morning he found himself sprawled out across the wide bed by himself, the rumpled sheets only half covering his body that was half twisted outside of the covers. He was mildly confused at his state of undress however he paid it no mind. He must have been too tired to get changed last night but his clothes weren't scattered across the floor like he had expected. 

"He must have gone home last night then." Yuuri whispered to the air as he sat up, his back was aching from the awkward position so he stretched out his sore limbs.

Yuuri fell back onto the sheets and smiled as he cast his mind back to the conversations that he had had with Victor last night. They had more in common than he initially thought which was a pleasant surprise. Perhaps he should invite Victor to go skating with him one day, if that wasn't too forward. 

He reached out to the table beside his bed in search of his glasses but they weren't there. Yuuri just sat up again, trying to search for them a bit more through blurry eyes but no luck. Eventually he just gave up. Today was his day off so he would find them eventually as he wondered around the apartment. The only thing he needed to do today was check the letterbox downstairs, other than that he was free to do whatever he wanted. 

With that in mind Yuuri threw on a set of clothes, just some loose jogging bottoms and a plain white shirt that was much too big for him, and began to make his way through his apartment not paying much attention to anything but the ground in front of him.

There were a few letters, mostly bills for something or other, nothing really interesting in the letterbox so it didn't take long before he was making his way back up to his apartment. He passed some of his neighbours in the hallway, all of them giving him a friendly smile as they made their way to work. Of course, he smiled back but he didn't quite understand why they were smiling so much at him until he bumped into the old lady who lives in the apartment beside his. 

"Nice night?" She asked, Yuuri didn't need to see her fact to hear the grin on her lips.

"Yes thank you." Yuuri smiled as he got out the key to his apartment, he remembered to put it in his pocket before he left.

"I thought so," she seemed almost giddy, "with all the noise you two were making there's no way you could have had a bad night."

"Noise?" Yuuri questions, not remembering the two of them being that loud. Especially with her poor hearing they couldn't have been making so much noise that she could hear their conversations. Perhaps she had just been hearing her television in the background. It wouldn't be the first time. 

"Yes, you and that foreign man." She nodded, giggling to herself. "When I saw his car still there this morning I knew that I hadn't been hearing things!"

"When was that?" The key stopped half way in the lock as he raised an eyebrow at her. 

"Only a few moments ago." She assured him. "I must say he is terribly attractive." 

"I'm really sorry Miss Oda but I have to go!" He swings the door wide open and runs into his apartment frantically, his cheeks growing very red. He was sure Victor wasn't there when he went to get the post. 

As soon as Yuuri rushes around his apartment he notices a soft sizzling coming from the kitchen and the mouth-watering smell of eggs and bacon. He rushes in to see Victor hovering over the stove with his broad back facing Yuuri.

"Victor?!" He squeaks out and Victor spins around with a wide grin on his face.

"Good morning sleepy head!" He calls. "I was almost worried that you were going to sleep the whole day!" He laughs and Yuuri blushes as he tried to think of something to say.

"I, uh, I thought you had gone home." He says dumbly, still staring at Victor through blurry eyes.

"I couldn't go home before returning the favour." Victor winked, if Yuuri had seen it he would have been a stuttering mess. 

"Thank you," for now Yuuri remained a blushing mess as he began to stretch his hands along the kitchen counters. He really needed to find his glasses right about now, "sorry, but have you seen my glasses anywhere?"

"You put them on the table last night," Victor told him with a smile and Yuuri nodded and shuffled back towards the table finding them right in the middle, exactly where Victor said there would be, "you took them off right before you challenged me to the dance off, remember?" He laughed and Yuuri stood in the doorway frozen. Every embarrassing memory from last night began flooding back to him as if a dam had been opened. 

"I'm so sorry," he said covering his mouth. He should have known not to drink so much, it wasn't the first time this had happened. 

"I'm not complaining, it was the most fun I've had in ages!" He grinned at Yuuri before turning to serve up the food. "I didn't expect you to start taking off your clothes though." He admitted, turning to hand Yuuri his plate.

Yuuri gripped the plate in both hands as he stared at Victor somehow only now noticing that the man before him was standing half naked in his kitchen. No shirt. Just his pale skin and perfectly toned muscles. Victor looked as if he was a sculpture that would be placed an art gallery, carved to perfection. 

"What is it?" Victor asked with smirk as he stepped closer to Yuuri who's eyes were glued to Victor's chest. He just couldn't look away. 

"You're, uh..." Yuuri had no idea how to form a sentence. His words were just jumping around in his head, not steeling down into a functioning sentence. 

"I'm what?" He leaned towards Yuuri.

"Shirtless." Yuuri was panicking as he shifted his eyes trying to look anywhere but Victor's chest. His eyes always ended up there though. 

"Yeah?" Victor pressed, grinning at Yuuri who couldn't keep his thoughts in order.

"You, uh, you look good." He smiled, glancing up to Victor's azure gaze before turning his eyes back to his plate. Victor placed a careful hand on Yuuri's cheek to lift up his face and smiled reassuringly.

"You're pretty hot yourself." He whispered into Yuuri's ear and Victor slipped past the wide-eyed Yuuri and made his way to the table. 

"I don't..."

"Hm?" Victor hums through a mouthful of eggs. 

Yuuri stood awkwardly in the doorway staring at Victor. He was hot. 

"Are you not going to eat?" Victor questions and Yuuri quickly takes a seat opposite. The food on his plate was more than welcome. Yuuri was starving. He dug in and honestly Yuuri didn't know that eggs ad bacon could taste this nice. He had no idea what Victor had done to it but whatever it was, it was amazing!

"I didn't know you could cook this well." Yuuri smiled up at Victor who looked surprised.

"Well," he begun, "it is my own personal belief that in order to judge food you must first know how to make good food yourself. Don't you agree?"

"Of course! Yuuri laughed, he thought the same thing. "It's why I started cooking." 

"You want to be a food critic?" Victor asked, raising a curious eyebrow.

"Well, I mean, yeah, but not as good as you. Obviously. I don't think there can ever be someone better than you." Yuuri gushed which forced a soft red tinge onto his cheeks.

"Of course there can." Victor assured him. "Although whoever it is would need to work extremely hard." 

"Without a doubt!" Yuuri nodded, taking the comment as his own personal advice. 

"You know, I could help you if you want. Teach you some stuff." Vicotr delighted in seeing Yuuri smile. He had never seen someone's eyes sparkle with such pure joy as Yuuri's did. 

"Really?!" Yuuri gawked. 

"Maybe on our next date," he glanced up through pale eyelashes, "if you wanted another date that is." Victor was sure Yuuri would say yes to another date, he wouldn't know what to do with himself if Yuuri said no!

"That sounds amazing." Yuuri couldn't stop his smile. 

"It's a date." Victor smiled too. Yuuri's smile was contagious. 

"When are you next free?" Victor asked, leaning on his elbow and staring right into Yuuri's dark eyes.

"After today? I'm not too sure." Truthfully couldn't remember what he had he week but he was sure there was something that he had promised to do.

"Are you free today?" Victor asked softly. 

"Yeah, for the whole day." 

"Do you want to go today?" 

"You're not busy?" Yuuri was sure that Victor would have some important business to attend to. After all, his column in only the most famous culinary magazine in the world wouldn't write itself. 

"Not at all." Even if he was Victor would never turn down an opportunity like this. 

"Then I would love to." Yuuri smiled at Victor across the table, their eyes were locked in a comforting gaze that just melted Yuuri on the inside. 

The two of them wasted no time getting cleaning up, working together to get the dishes washed and dried. There was even a moment when Victor had to reach around Yuuri to get the tea towel and he could feel the strength in his arms brush across his back. But it was only a brief moment. 

It didn't take long for them to both get changed into something a little more fitting to go outside. Yuuri had to lend Victor some clothes as his were much too formal for brunch so he found a pair of jeans that thankfully fit Victor almost perfectly and a tight shirt that Yuuri found at the bottom of a drawer somewhere, his drawers weren't very well organised. Yuuri also got changed into something similar as he quietly mumbled to himself. 

"Today is gonna be a good day."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry it took so long! School is kicking my backside at the moment so I'll only be updating on weekends but I'm so glad that I can do this because it's absolutely amazing to be able to do this for you all (and a near miracle that so many people actually like it XD). 
> 
> Let me know if there is anything that you want to see in this work because I didn't really expect it to even get this far so any suggestions of which direction you want it to go in will be much appreciated!
> 
> Thank you for reading and I hope you are having a wonderful time! <3


	5. In Moments Like These

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know and I'm sorry. It's been a while. I tried to write it sooner but I had no idea where I was going with this chapter. 
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMM_EqZUTH4  
> (Quick RP; I'm James and this chapter is the flapjack)

Victor led Yuuri to his very shiny and very expensive-looking car, the two of them got strapped in and they were off to somewhere. Yuuri wasn't too sure where, Victor had told him but he couldn't remember the name of the place. Wherever it was, Yuuri didn't care, he was just happy to be going somewhere with Victor. It's not every day that Yuuri got to spend time with someone as brilliant as him. He could barely believe that it was happening at all!

They drove for a while talking about whatever came to mind. Dogs. Food. Different countries that they had been to. Anything really! 

As they got further into the city Yuuri begun to recognise the wide roads which were beginning to turn into smaller streets with a familiar market crammed with carts and stalls littered all over the place. Yuuri felt something very familiar about this place even though he wasn't quite sure how, it wouldn't stop bugging him but he tried to put it at the back of his mind. Victor pulled into a nearby car park and turned toward Yuuri with a grin. He can remember whatever it is later. This is much more important.

"We're here!" Victor told him and Yuuri smiled as they unbuckled their seatbelts. 

"So where are we going?" Yuuri asked.

"I did promise to teach you some things." Victor remarked through his wide smile. "You ready to go?" He asked and Yuuri nodded his head in agreement.

"Let's go." He said. 

They made their way into the market, which was just as loud as expected with people shouting over each other just to be heard. Yuuri loved the busy atmosphere that it created as they moved around the market together. They weren't even five stalls in before Victor seemed to get all excited as they neared a cheese stall. His smile grew as he turned to Yuuri and grabbed his hand.

"One of the most important things about being a food critic is you must know what you are talking about. You have to know almost everything there is to know about food." Yuuri listened intently as he allowed Victor to pull him closer to the cheese stall. "Close your eyes." Victor demanded.

Yuuri seemed hesitant at first but after a reassuring nod from Victor he closed his eyes and held on tightly to Victor's hand as he waited for something to happen. 

"Here," Victor offered after a few seconds as something cold and hard pressed against Yuuri's closed lips. Yuuri opened up his mouth and bit down on a small block of cheese which tasted delicious. It crumbled over his taste buds. 

"Parmesan?" Yuuri asked. 

"Well done Yuuri." Victor praised with a squeeze of his hand and Yuuri opened his eyes. 

"I got it?" He sounded surprised, but Victor's dazzling smile told him that he had no reason to doubt it. 

"You see, you have to know exactly what you're talking about." Yuuri nodded firmly, tightening his grip on Victor's hand. Victor's eyes locked onto Yuuri's for a few short moments and they seemed to say something but Yuuri couldn't quite tell what it was. 

"Your turn," Yuuri smiled as he pulled Victor over to another stall with cured meats all laid out, "close your eyes." Victor grinned as he placed a hand over his eyes and opened his mouth. 

"It's salami." Victor declared.

Yuuri stared in amazement. But he wasn't amazed by the fact that Victor had gotten the answer right, of course he was right, it's Victor. He was more amazed by the sheer amount of confidence this man had. No hesitation. It was stunning. 

"Did I get it right?" Victor peaked out from between his fingers.

"Yeah," Yuuri smiled, "you got it right."

They continued making their way around the market, stopping at every stall they could to test each other. It had become a fun little game and so far Victor was winning. He hadn't gotten a single one wrong! But to be fair to Yuuri the ones he had gotten wrong were mistakes easily made. 

They walked around some more until the number of stalls around them began to dwindle. Yuuri had barely noticed, he was too busy talking about the time he and his best friend Phichit had almost gotten into big trouble at a bar back when he was living in Detroit. Victor seemed to be completely amused by the story, he almost didn't notice when they got to their final destination. 

"We're here," Victor nudged Yuuri.

"What about the market?" Yuuri raised an eyebrow. 

"A fun little detour." Victor shrugged as he pulled Yuuri closer to the huge building across the road.

Yuuri's eyes lit up in surprise. This was why he recognised this place! It was an ice rink that he had been to a little while back when he couldn't make it home for his birthday. He loved it there but unfortunately he had only managed to find the time for it once. 

"You ready?" Victor asked as they reached the door and Yuuri let out a joyful laugh. 

"For skating? Always!" He grinned and pulled them through the door. 

Victor couldn't help but notice Yuuri's goofy grin the entire time they were lacing up their skates. That's when he knew that he had made the right choice. Yuuri was done lacing in no time and practically jumped on the ice, Victor following quickly after him. The rink was surprisingly empty for this time of day but Victor was thankful for it. It meant that he and Yuuri could skate to their hearts content and it looked like Yuuri was already doing just that. Yuuri was a natural, the way he skated was as if he was practically born to be on the ice. He stumbled a couple times but that didn't matter. Victor just made his way over and helped him up. 

Victor had spent nearly his entire childhood on the ice himself. To see someone who loved skating as much as him was refreshing. Yuuri in particular, he had a way of moving across the ice that he had never seen before. What on earth was he thinking about? It must be something amazing to inspire him so much! 

"Yuuri!" Victor called across the ice, and he did a fancy double toe loop to impress him. 

"That was great!" Yuuri laughed and skated around for a bit, trying to get the right amount of speed, and the perfect jump! Well, almost perfect. He wobbled a bit on the landing. But Victor didn't need to tell him that he already knew. 

Yuuri smiled a bit sheepishly as he skated over and Victor offered his hand. He had forgot to bring his gloves with him, but he didn't mind. Despite the ice Yuuri's hands still seemed warm. 

"Skate with me?" Victor asked and Yuuri didn't even try to hold back his smile. 

Their hands fitted together almost perfectly and the heat between them was enough to keep them warm as they moved across the ice. 

Yuuri could smell his cologne on Victor and all he could do was grin. This was almost the perfect moment. If he had told himself even last week that this was what he would be doing on his day off he would have most likely booked himself in for a psychological assessment. He began to think of how this had actually happened and more importantly would it last much longer? He knew what Victor had said about teaching him, but he did have a lot to drink last night, Yuuri wouldn't blame him at all if her were to take back his offer. But he didn't want to think about that. He pushed that thought right into the deepest darkest corner of his mind and told it to stay there. There was no way that he was letting silly little thoughts like that ruin such an amazing moment. 

"Yuuri?" Victor called to him and they slowed to a stop on the ice. 

"What's wrong?" His concern was begging to grow. Had Victor read his thoughts? He knew that he would ruin the moment! Yuuri wanted to kick himself. 

"This is perfect." Victor whispered, pulling Yuuri in closer so they were completely wrapped in each other's arms and trapping the warmth between them. Yuuri could feel the heat rise to his cheeks as Victor unwound one hand and placed it on his chin, tilting his head up slightly. 

"Really?" Yuuri didn't know what else to say. 

"Absolutely," Victor replied as he inched closer. Yuuri closed his eyes in anticipation but Victor had stopped. He opened one eye, wondering what he was doing but Victor was simply gazing down at him with his stunning blue eyes. Yuuri hadn't noticed how dazzling they were in this light until now. He felt comfortable under Victor's gaze, something he hadn't felt before. Yuuri moved his hands up carefully holding Victor's face like the precious jewel that it was, he closed his eyes lightly, and pressed their lips together in a chaste kiss. Victor's lips were softer than expected and Yuuri loved it. 

Yuuri made a promise to himself in that moment. He would try stop thinking about all of those silly little thoughts when he was in moments like these. After all, he didn't know how many of these moments he was going to get with Victor, or anyone for that matter, so he wanted to make all of them memorable.


	6. Call Me

"Are you sure you have to go?" Victor whispered over the sound of the car radio. He was holding onto Yuuri's hand and had laced their fingers together tightly. 

"It's already late and I have work tomorrow." Yuuri sighed, he didn't want to go but he knew he had to. After what happened a few days ago he couldn't afford to fuck up any more. 

"You're really going back to that place?" Victor questioned, his voice was as soft as his eyes. 

"I know it's not brilliant there but it pays the bills and that's all I need at the moment." Yuuri admitted. Working there was most definitely not his end goal but it was a necessary stepping stone towards the life that he wanted so he could put up with it for now. 

"But the way they treated you-"

"-is not the worst treatment I've had in my life. I'll be fine Victor." Yuuri tried to laugh it off as he shook off Victor's hand to unplug his seatbelt and he stepped out of the car.

"Hmm." Victor hummed, not really knowing what to say, and followed Yuuri out of the car.

"Thank you for today Victor. And for last night." Yuuri looked down with a nervous smile and they stood facing each other beside the bonnet of the car.

"It's my pleasure Yuuri." Victor smiled, reaching for Yuuri's hesitant hand.

"I was hoping that maybe we could do it again sometime." He glanced up for a second, just to see Victor's reaction, but Victor caught his eyes and he couldn't look away. 

"Do you even need to ask? I definitely want to do it again." Victor smiled and Yuuri felt as if he was pulling him in for a hug. It just made him feel all warm on the inside and he couldn't fight away the grin on his face or the feeling of relief that followed. 

"Good." He nodded awkwardly and Victor let out a laugh.

"Did you forget already? I'm your coach now Yuuri." Victor reminded him. 

"My coach?" Yuuri questioned uncertainly, he didn't think Victor had actually been serious. 

"You can't get rid of me just yet. Not until I've helped you make it to the top. You got that?" He said, radiating confidence. Yuuri was over the moon. Out of all the people in the world it was Victor Nikiforov, the Victor Nikiforov, who was going to help him achieve his dream. What a time to be alive. 

"Yeah." Yuuri nodded. He wanted to hold onto whatever this was for as long as he could. 

"Call me, okay?" Victor squeezed his hand for a moment before letting Yuuri walk back into the apartment building. 

"Okay." Yuuri nodded, his grin still there, and made his way towards the building. Yuuri opened his phone and stared at the contact. He couldn't resist. 

As he reached the doors of the apartment building Yuuri clicked on the call button. He turned around to see Victor, waiting for him to go inside before he got into his car. It rung for a second before Yuuri pressed the phone to his ear and let out a cloud of warm air. He didn't realise how cold it was outside.   
Victor laughed lightly and answered the phone. 

"Hello Yuuri," he purred into the receiver.

"Hey Victor," Yuuri smiled, "I can't wait to see you again." 

"And I can't wait to see you again." Victor winked at Yuuri who began to feel his skin heating up all over again. 

"Goodnight Victor," Yuuri whispered into the phone.

"Goodnight Yuuri," Victor waved at him and Yuuri returned the wave before disappearing into the apartment building. He felt amazing. Today had to be one of the best days in months, maybe even years! And he couldn't wait to see what would happen next.


	7. Back To Work

Work was a drag. Yuuri had been up on cloud nine for the last day and a half and what awaited him the next day was a rather nasty reality check. 

It started out bad. Yuuri missed his bus and so the only option was to walk, and walking in his very formal work shoes was not nice at all. Then he was yelled at by the manager for being late, despite the fact that he was actually five minutes early. 

Once he actually got to working it didn't seem that bad until towards the end of his shift where one of his customers turned out to be an absolute nightmare and screaming for their meal for free because it was undercooked, not that there was any food on their plate left to confirm it. Yuuri was close to tears and had no idea how to deal with the situation so he just handed them off to his manager and now he was sitting in the break room, as he was told, trying to prepare himself to get shouted at again for not dealing with the situation properly.

"You don't need to put up with this." One of his co-workers whispered to him, sitting down beside him and giving him a little nudge. 

"Thanks Minami, but its either this job or I move back in with my parents. Despite all of the crap we're put through, the money here is good and I don't wanna just give up all that money because I didn't wanna deal with some angry customers." Yuuri ran a hand over his hair, it was slicked back and so he needed to keep it in place. 

"Don't forget the shitty manager." Minami grumbled, he seemed to be more annoyed at their manager than Yuuri did. 

"Don't say that too loud," Yuuri whispered, "he might hear you." Minami smiled at that but it didn't last for long. 

"I'm serious Yuuri, it's borderline bullying and it's not okay." Minami insisted but Yuuri just shook his head. 

"Don't worry about me. I'm fine." Yuuri put on the bravest face he could muster and Minami didn't seem convinced, but he dropped the subject, much to Yuuri's relief. If he could afford to quit he would, but he doubted that he could find a job that paid this good any time soon. 

The manager stalked into the break room, angry as ever, and if looks could kill Yuuri would already be six feet under. He screamed for everyone to get back to work and the few people that were in the break room scrambled to their feet and rushed out. Yuuri got up to, but he didn't have his chance to leave before he was called out.

"Not you Katsuki," the manager growled and Minami shot him a concerned look, he just smiled to reassure him. 

Once everyone was gone Yuuri braced himself, he bowed hurriedly and apologised. "I'm sorry for what happened." He said, referring to the awkward customer that he had failed to deal with. 

"Why is it always you Katsuki?" The manager said bitterly and to be honest, Yuuri was asking himself the same thing.

"Answer me!" He yelled.

"I'm not sure Sir," Yuuri braced himself, still stuck in an awkward half-bow.

"Not good enough," the manager insisted, "why are you even on my staff if you are completely incompetent when it comes to customer service?"

"Completely?" Yuuri echoed, it hadn't been the best night but there were loads of satisfied customers that left his tables without a single complaint. 

"Yes Katsuki, completely. What are you, stupid? You can't deal with a single customer complaint! And then you have the audacity to sit back here smiling with the others as if it's one big joke." He ranted.

"I'm sorry," Yuuri tried, but it was no use.

"One more fuck up from you and you're out of here." The manager told him.

"Yes Sir," Yuuri whispered. He could feel his hands shaking and his eyes felt like they were about to overflow. To say that Yuuri was feeling overwhelmed would be an understatement. 

"Now piss off out of my sight." Yuuri didn't question him. He just tried to stay out of his way until his shift was over. 

Minami tried to talk to him, to make sure that he was doing okay, but Yuuri didn't want to end up crying in front of him. He was too young and too nice to have to deal with Yuuri's shit, so Yuuri said a quick goodbye in the break room before he rushed off home. No dance today. Minako was busy. 

Thankfully, Yuuri didn't miss his bus this time which he was grateful for. He sat quietly in his seat, half asleep for most of the ride, until it was his stop. Then he dragged himself up the stairs into his apartment and barely managed to take off his shoes and his coat before he dropped onto the bed. Yuuri was drained, he didn't have the energy to do anything. His phone buzzed in his pocket and he reached for it to check the notification. When he saw who it was he nearly dropped his phone on his face. It was Victor.

Victor  
Hey Yuuri xx

Yuuri felt that warm feeling inside of him begin to grow and it made him smile. 

Yuuri  
Hey Victor

Yuuri rolled over to his side, watching the three little dots was Victor typed out his response.

Victor   
How was work? Xx

Yuuri   
Long and tiring, how was your day?

Victor  
My day was boring (a lot of meetings) but it's much better now ;)

Yuuri could feel the blush creep onto his cheeks as he pulled the covers over himself and tried to think of a response. 

Yuuri  
Why is that?

Victor  
Because I am talking to the cutest guy in the world. 

Yuuri couldn't help but laugh. Was Victor always like this? Because Yuuri could get used to this. 

Yuuri   
Thanks Victor

Victor   
I'm just stating facts xx

Yuuri  
XD

Victor   
Have you eaten yet? 

Yuuri  
Not yet

Yuuri had forgotten, but he was too tired to move now. He wasn't that hungry anyway.

Victor  
You should probably go do that

Yuuri  
Nah, I'm not that hungry to be honest

Victor  
Yuuriiiiiii! You need foooood!!

Yuuri  
But I'm tired Victor!

Victor  
But you need to eat!

Yuuri had to admit that he had a point. He knew that he needed to eat but he didn't know if his body would let him get up to get the food in the first place.

Victor  
Do you want me to come over and cook for you? Would you eat then??

Yuuri  
I'm not gonna make you come all the way to my apartment just to cook me something!

Victor  
It's no big deal, I'm getting my keys now

Yuuri  
Victor, it's way too late and it's not fair on you

Now Yuuri wasn't opposed to Victor coming over, he was welcome any time, but he didn't want Victor to come over just to look after him. He meant what he said, it really wasn't fair on Victor when Yuuri had nothing to offer him as thanks. 

Victor  
Yuuri you need to eat

Yuuri could sense Victor's change in tone and he relented.

Yuuri  
I'm getting something now

Victor   
You sure?

His body groaned as he pulled himself from the bed and went to the kitchen. Three minute noodles would have to be good enough. Yuuri snapped a quick picture with the noodles and sent it to Victor.

Yuuri  
See, I've got food, no need to worry

Victor   
Good :)

Yuuri found it sweet that Victor was worried about his wellbeing, ever since he moved away the city it was only him mum who checked up on him like this. It was a nice change. Especially since Victor had been willing to come all the way to Yuuri's apartment to cook for him, although he had a feeling that might have been a joke. 

Victor  
When are you next free to go out? 

Yuuri was all smiles. Victor wanted to go out with him again! That will definately be something to look forward to after what is looking like a difficult set of shifts at work. Although, he couldn't do it the day after that because he promised to help out Minako in one of her new classes before his lesson, so it would have to be the day after that.

Yuuri  
Next week? On Wednesday?

His noodles were done and Yuuri was just about ready to collapse onto his bed and sleep into next week, but he remembered to set his alarm before he changed and slid under the covers. 

Victor  
It's a date xx

He stared at the message. There Victor goes saying stuff like that again. Was it really a date? Yuuri hoped so, but he didn't have the guts to ask. He was too tired and all he wanted to do was sleep.

Yuuri  
Goodnight, Victor

Victor  
Goodnight Yuuri, sweet dreams :)

Yuuri didn't remember much after that, just the warm fuzzy feeling that seemed to always appear when he spoke to Victor. He loved that feeling. It made him feel amazing. And it seemed like Victor wouldn't be leaving him any time soon, so he had a lot of it to look forward to.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not too sure if I should keep this going so let me know if you want more parts! <3
> 
> Also find this fic in Russian! Translated by the lovely Kiwiarae! <3  
> https://ficbook.net/readfic/10106558


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